Wire-fence stretcher.



'W. H. & T. A. MEARS.

' WIRE FENCE STRETGHBR.

APPLICATION FILED 113.2, 1912.

Patented sept. 30,l 1913.

JNVENTORS rs, W .Mea.

Attorney COLUMNA PMNOGRAPH C0.. wAsHxNaToN. D. c.

V le

i WILLIAM if-inititisnn fiviAns, or nnern,

nn THOMAS le. Means, oF savanna',

' i wrnnrnnclavsrnntrennn.

imams.

As''psalmsai rasanten; y rat-enten sepeso, 1913'.

AApplicanon his@ retraarj 2:11am. seriainawaos?. i

Be it lrnown that we, WrnLrM Means and THQMAS A. Mia-ans, citizens of the@ United States, residing at Elgin land Sa-Q vanua, respectively5inthe counties ofKane; AVand Carroll, respectively, and State of Illi-Q nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WireflFenee. Stretcher'sgg and we d'0 hereby declarethe following toj Abe a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, vsuch as will enable others" skilled; -in the art t"o which: itappertains 'to make,

and use the same.

Qur invention relates to certain new and; useful improvements in devices for stretching barbed wire and woven wire fences andE has for its object to provide. a simple and; economically constructed device embodying not only means for stretchingrthe wirebut; auxiliary means..` for `holding the wire in its; stretched condition while the same is being secured to the supporting posts. e .With these endsgin view ourwinvention consists in the details of construction here;y inafter more specifically described...

In Vorder that those skilled in the art to which our invention appertains may know how to make and use the same and fully appreciate its many advantages, we will proceed to describe the construction and operation of the same.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l represents a perspective view of our improved device as applied to the woven wire fence and post, both of which are shown in broken lines; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the form of hooks ernployed in connection with the device.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in both figures of the drawing.

l. represents a suitable handle or lever of any suitable material, preferably wood, having the proper degree of strength to .which is secured on one side a post embracer 2. which maybe made of cast metal but which is preferably bent into form from sheet metal of suitable gage and strength to resist the ordinary strain which may be eX- erted upon it. The embracer shown in the drawing is formed fromV a single strip of metal by bending the same laterally then back on itself to form the lug projections 2. The end portions 3 of the embracerare in alinement with the central portion thereof, rest flatly against the lever 1, and are sedevice. is

i' .cured thereto by means ofthe eyebolts 4. VTo, the eye bolts 4l. are secured chains 5.

and 6. carrying at their outer ends hooks 7., die-preferred` form of which isl most clearly shown at Fig. 2.

.' In using our improved stretcher, the embracer 2. is placed against the rear surface of the pgostS. and the hook 7. on the chain .5. at the end Vofthe handle or leveris placed around the horizontal wire and behind the vertical wire, Yas shown at Fig. l., or if barbed wine is to be operated upon, the hook is placed behind abarb. When thus adjusted, `the outer end of the handle or lever l. is drawn toward .the operator and conse- `qnently strain is exerted upon the outer chain .55. and the wire, around which the `hook. is located. is drawn naturally toward the post to: sucheXtent asmay be desired, whereupon the hoek 7.=.at the end of the chain 6; is .placed around the wire o r barb in rear of the locality of the hook iii ih .eheh-1. 5 When. thishas been den@ itwill be readily seen that the stretching held in fixed relation with the post even though the handle or lever be released, and consequently the operator is free to employ his hands in stapling the wire or fence to the post. TheV embracer 2 comprises la slidable or rotatable fulcrum. As the tension on the wire is increased, the weight arm is proportionally shortened, owing to its angular displacement, and it will be apparent that, as the power arm comes nearly into alinement with the wire, the length of the weight arm will be greatly decreased. This structure reduces the liability of breaking the'weight arm of the lever at the fulcrum.

In the initial movement, the handle operates as a lever of the first class, and in its reverse movement, as a lever of the third class. As such a lever, its eiciency is somewhat reduced, but the embracer sliding about the post gives the lever increasing power as the pull advances.

l/Vhile we have preferred hooks of the design shown it will be understood that we do not wish to be limited in this respect, as we may employ hooks of any ldesign which may be especially adapted to the uses to which they may be put.

While chains 5. and 6. which carry the hooks may be of equal length in which case the hook upon chain 7. would naturally be located at a point more distant than the hook upon chain 5., while as a matter of con# venience it may be preferred to have the chain 6. somewhat shorter than the chain 5., in which case when the hook 7. ofv said chain is secured in position upon the wire it will occupy the relative relation to .the hook upon chain 5., as illustrated in the drawing.

Many changes may be made in the details of construction and the use of material withoutdeparting from the spirit of our invention which involves the generic feature of a lever or handle provided at its outer end with a post embracing device with chains connected to said device and handle or lever at opposite terminals of the said embracing device and provided at their free ends withhooks adapted to interlock with a barbed wire or woven Wire fence in order that when the wire or fence has been stretched-by the strain exerted upon the chain and hook at the outer end of the lelver or handle, the hook at the outer end From the description of the construction f and the .operation thus given it will be seen Lomme gle strip of metal and having a pair of laterally extending portions formed intermedi- Y ate its ends, the opposed sides of said por-` tions and that part of the embracer which lies between said portions being adapted for engagement with a fence post, the ends of the embracer being in alinementf'with the central portion thereof, means for securing 4' said embracer to the lever, and wire vengaging members secured to said means.V Y

In testimony` whereof we aiiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses. Y

VILLIAM HARRISON MEARS. THOMAS A. MEARS.V y

Vitnesses: e

CHARLES C. PARKER, WILLIAM D. GILLOGBY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner, of Patents,

, Washington, D. C.

i.. a A 

